Page 65 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

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†50
A SAFAVID SILK LAMPAS PANEL
A SAFAVID CUERDA SECA POTTERY TILE IRAN, SECOND HALF 16TH CENTURY
IRAN, 17TH CENTURY
The red silk ground woven in green, yellow, white
The white ground decorated in cobalt-blue, and black with a repeating depiction of a man with
turquoise, green, yellow and manganese on white an axe over his shoulder, leading a captive woman
ground, intact repeating between trees, the ground with floral
9¿ x 9º in. (23.2 x 23.5 cm.) sprays, mounted
Textile 21º x 13ºin. (54 x 33.7cm.); mount 22º x
£5,000-7,000 US$5,800-8,000
14q (56.5 x 36.7cm.)
€5,700-8,000
£30,000-50,000 US$35,000-57,000
€35,000-57,000
This fragment shows a woman being led away
by a Safavid courtier with an axe over his soldier
amidst trees and a dense floral ground. Another
panel from the same original is in the Victoria
& Albert Museum (inv.34-1903). It is one of a
group of known textiles which depict Safavid
soldiers and courtiers leading away captives. This
‘prisoner’ group has had various interpretations
as literary, with Ackerman believing another
example to depict a scene from the Shahnama
(P. Ackerman, Guide to the Exhibition of Persian
Art, New York, 1940, p.3526). However, it is now
widely accepted to be historical and celebrating
50 the four successful campaigns of Shah Tahmasp
into Georgia between 1540 and 1553. This
conclusion is based on studying the clothing and
facial attributes of the captives. In particular,
our textile is thought to commemorate the raid
against the city of Kartlia in 1553. It is likely that
these silks, commemorating the Shah’s victories,
would have held an important propagandic
th
function in 16 century Safavid Iran.
The present fragment remains in good condition
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with a full vertical repeat and very nearly a full
A SAFAVID SILK AND METAL THREAD BROCADE PANEL horizontal repeat and a half. It is rare to have
IRAN, SECOND HALF 17TH CENTURY black thread retained in Safavid textiles of this
Of trapezoid form, the navy-blue silk ground woven in metal thread with offset age which here serves to strongly preserve
floral sprays surrounded by Chinese clouds, red band to lower edge, mounted the face of the soldier and his captive. Another
Panel 33in. (83.3cm.) high; mount 35º x 17æin. (89.5 x 45.6cm.) large fragment, again of similar condition, was
£15,000-20,000 US$18,000-23,000 displayed at the Louvre, Paris, as part of the
€18,000-23,000 Georges Marteau Collection (M. Maury, Le goût
de l’Orient, Exhibition Catalogue, Paris, 2019,
The rich midnight blue ground of this silk fragment is woven with a design
cat.24). Further fragments from the ‘prisoner’
of delicately drawn floral spray surrounded by Chinese clouds in bright gold
group are in the Museum of Fine Art, Boston
thread, which remains in wonderful condition. The Safavid period heralded
(Inv.04.1622) and Metropolitan Museum of Art,
the peak of Iranian weaving and textile design. The depiction of flowering
New York (Inv.52.20.12).
plants as shown here became particularly popular in the second half of the
17 century, largely due to the drawings and paintings of Shafi ‘Abbasi, son
th
of Reza ‘Abbasi, during the reign of Shah ‘Abbas II. Two other panels of the
same design were sold at Bonhams, London, 15 April 2010, lot 92 and in
these Rooms, 5 October 2010, lot 242.
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62 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty 63
fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.